His Word Is His Bond.

So, what’s been happening? I believe that a Republican took the White House in November – indeed, the landlord gave him the keys just today – so let's have a look at how that went down....yes...I see....gee, he pulls a crowd, doesn't he?...yes...hmmm...and...that's it! $160 million gone down the Potomac!

Yes, it has been the cause of much wailing and gnashing and teeth, that bill. $160 m! Four times more than Bush's 2005 bash! It's an outrage! etc, except of course it's all bollocks. Obama's inaugaration actually cost $42 m, a tidy sum I'll grant you, but still less that Bush's $45 m, so where does the $160 m come from? Well, for Obama's costs, New York's Daily News helpfully added the full and as yet unknown costs of security and threw in the lethally ambiguous 'could approach', as in 'costs could approach $160 m' which is where the figure comes from. That's right kids, they made it up. Well, not quite...

Given that Obama's $45m and Bush's $42 was raised privately, the security is what the tax-payer springs for and in 2005 it was a healthy $115 m – so the full cost of Bush soiree was actually a paltry $157 m, give or take a balloon or two.

Now, either the Daily News, FOX et al knew this and deliberately skewed the sums, or they were just pulling it out of...the air, but either way it shows a duplicitousness that the Pres is going to be treated to in spades over the next eight years – good job he's not a leftie or things could get really ugly.

On the other hand there is no mention of how much the White House rent is, and Elroy certainly didn't see Obama handing over a security deposit at the inauguration, so we can only assume that his word is his bond.